Student asks Beto O'Rourke why he gave less to charity than her sister who just graduated

2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to students at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville during his last stop on a tour which saw him visit multiple cities in the state.(Photo: Zack Wajsgras, The Daily Progress via AP)

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke was confronted Tuesday during a town-hall style event at the University of Virginia about the relatively low amount his tax returns revealed he had given to charity.

In a video of the exchange shared on social media by The Hill, a student asked "why, as someone who earns seven times the amount" as her sister, a recent college graduate, he "gives less in charitable donations than she does?"

"Thank you for the question," O'Rourke replied. He stressed the importance of presidential candidates making their tax returns public to reveal any "real or perceived conflicts of interest so that we hold ourselves accountable as I am doing with you, right now."

"I’ve served in public office since 2005. I do my best to contribute to the success of my community, of my state, and now, of my country. There are ways that I do this that are measurable and there are ways that I do this that are immeasurable. There are charities that we donate to that we’ve recorded and itemized, others that we have donated to that we have not.”

O'Rourke, a former Texas Rep., said he considered his time on the campaign trail away from his children to be a public sacrifice as well.

"I will continue to try to be as transparent and forthcoming as I can be," he vowed.

O'Rourke and his wife, Amy Sanders O'Rourke, who filed jointly, released 10 years worth of returns on Monday. They did not release their 2018 returns but said they would as soon as they were filed. In 2017, they reported a total income of $370,412.

The return showed the couple gave $1,166 to a charity that year, or less than one-third of 1%. According to The Washington Post, that was by far the lowest amount revealed in any of the most recent tax returns that have been shared by the 2020 presidential candidates so far. Warren gave the most, donating $50,128 out of an income of 905,742, or 5.5%.

Several candidates have yet to share their returns, including South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and President Donald Trump.

O'Rourke later told reporters, "We've made donations to so many organizations – in small amounts, in the hundreds of dollars, in larger amounts, in the thousands of dollars. This is beyond what is itemized and reflected in our taxes and just didn't report it because it wasn't important for us to take the deduction," according to The Washington Post reporter Jenna Johnson.

He said he did not expect to share his tax returns because he never expected to run for president. He said he planned to go back to some of the organizations to see if they would be able to help determine how much they had given over the past 10 years, Johnson reported.

Beto O’Rourke tells reporters in Virginia that he has donated “hundreds of dollars... thousands of dollars” to charities that he did not itemized on his taxes “because it wasn’t important for us to take the deduction.” He’s now reaching out to charities to figure out the totals. pic.twitter.com/bbicCJ1DSy

The O’Rourkes paid $81,019 in federal income tax in 2017. And they paid $88,798 in 2009, when they had their largest reported income.

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the O'Rourkes underpaid their 2013 and 2014 taxes by more than $4,000 due to an error in the way they deducted their medical expenses. A campaign spokesman told the paper that the couple will file amended returns to address the mistake.

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